U.S. Pat. No. 8,098,423, to Islam, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a system and method for voice control of medical devices. The disclosure states that a medical device includes an insertable portion capable of being inserted into an orifice associated with a body of a patient. The disclosure further states that the insertable portion comprises an automated head unit capable of being manipulated in at least two axes of motion based at least in part on one or more control signals, and that voice control may be used for the manipulation.
PCT Application PCT/US2008/082835, to Mahapatra et al., whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a steerable epicardial pacing catheter system that is placed via a subxiphoid process. The disclosure states that the invention may be used in the field of voice control over medical systems and devices of use in specialized electrophysiology procedures that employ subxiphoid access.
PCT Application PCT/SE2003/001895, to Brusell et al., whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for producing simulated speech without requiring the use of naturally sounding speech, where movements and conditions are detected when a user performs speech movements. Ultrasonic signals are emitted from the outside mainly in a direction towards the mouth and/or throat area of the user and reflected ultrasonic signals are registered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,930, to Teaney, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a voice-controlled musical device that is driven by an electroglottograph as an input to a controller. The electroglottograph (EGG) has a transducer in the form of a band that is located about the user's neck. The EGG converts the cycle of opening and closing of the vocal folds of the user's vocal chords into a clean electrical signal that the disclosure claims is particularly accurate with respect to pitch.
U. S. Patent Application 2012/0299826 to Moeller et al., whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes A human/machine (HM) interface that enables a human operator to control a corresponding machine using the geometric degrees of freedom of the operator's vocal tract. In one embodiment, the HM interface has an acoustic sensor configured to monitor, in real time, the geometry of the operator's vocal tract using acoustic reflectometry. A signal processor analyzes the reflected acoustic signals detected by the acoustic sensor, e.g., using signal-feature selection and quantification, and translates these signals into commands and/or instructions for the machine.
Documents incorporated by reference in the present patent application are to be considered an integral part of the application except that to the extent any terms are defined in these incorporated documents in a manner that conflicts with the definitions made explicitly or implicitly in the present specification, only the definitions in the present specification should be considered.